Today [2 January] has been dubbed ‘National Baby Making Day’, with most parents-to-be planning to have sex shortly after 10pm tonight.
Official figures show the most common day for a baby to be born in the UK is 26 September - 38 weeks after 2 January, which is the length of the average pregnancy.
ChannelMum.com surveyed 2,139 couples and the majority agreed that 2 January is the top day for trying to conceive as “the drinking and partying is over” and they want to spend time together.
And 10.36pm was revealed to be the most common time to have sex for 71% of couples surveyed.
The study revealed almost a quarter of parents (23%) want Christmas-conceived babies, with 17% having previously fallen pregnant over Christmas, while a further 6% plan to do so in 2018.
The most popular reason to want a Christmas-conceived baby is so he or she would be born in September, making them the eldest in the school year, with 27% of mums and dads claiming this was important to them.
Channel Mum also shared some of the things parents tried that they believe helped them conceive.
“Falling pregnant isn’t always easy so couples who have been trying a while will attempt almost anything to help,” said Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com.
“While there isn’t much medical science to back up these tips, our members swear they have all helped and we have hundreds of bouncing new babies to prove it.”
Some of the “tips” were strange (eating McDonalds chips immediately after sex, tried by 3% of mums) and random (one in 10 claimed wearing socks in bed and keep the woman’s feet warm helped them become a mum), while others proved to be pretty popular - getting the woman to put her legs in the air and pretend to ride a bicycle for at least three minutes was a method used by 58% of mothers.
But for those who really want to improve their chances of conception, the NHS has science-backed advice for couples. These include:
1. Have sex within a day or so of ovulation (when your ovaries are releasing an egg). This usually happens about 14 days after the first day of your last period.
2. Quit or reduce smoking and drinking - The NHS states: “Smoking may reduce fertility in women, including passive smoking”.
3. Ensure your weight is “healthy” - Your weight is considered “healthy” if your body mass index (BMI) is between 20 and 25. Women whose BMI is more than 30 or under 19 may have problems conceiving.
For more information on increasing your chances of conceiving, visit the NHS website here.
Before You Go
